By Nick Giambruno, chief analyst, The Casey Report
When two federal agents showed up to harass suspected arms trafficker Phil Zimmerman, Phil was out of his element.
He wasn’t your usual gun runner. He wasn’t linked to any cartels, insurgent groups, spies, or other shady characters. But he had written a bit of computer code that the U.S. government considered a weapon.
In the early 1990s, Phil Zimmerman invented what is now the world’s most widely used email encryption system. Called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), it ensures privacy between the sender and receiver. Zimmerman also made PGP freely available to anyone over the internet.
The U.S. government considered the strong cryptography behind PGP a military “munition.” They charged him with violating the Arms Export Control Act. The penalty… Three to five years in prison and a $1 million fine.
In truth, the U.S. government attacked Zimmerman for trying to protect something the government loathes: personal privacy.
Zimmerman’s software allowed people to email their friends and business acquaintances privately. Anyone could download it from his website for free.
Zimmerman also made the computer source code public. So, other people could publish the software on their own websites as well.
Eventually, the coding community made scores of copies.
Zimmerman’s encryption quickly spread across the U.S. Eventually, it also hit Europe. At this point, the distribution of the encryption code was completely out of his hands.
The U.S. government hated that individuals now had easy access to encryption technology. It diluted their power.
That’s why it targeted Zimmerman for a criminal investigation. The U.S. government wanted to make an example out of him. It also naïvely thought that it could stop the spread of encryption and cryptography technologies.
— RECOMMENDED —
Why Everyone is Getting Rich Right Now … And You’re Not
Thousands of Americans have been hit by a wave of wealth in the wake of COVID-19. Stocks are up 40% since the crash, yet some lucky retirees have the opportunity to see 100%+ gains because of what’s coming next. How are they doing it?
For the first time in history, two millionaire investors have joined forces to help you learn the secret moneymaking strategy of the wealthy and connected.
Click here to watch their presentation
Table of Contents
The Government Can’t Stop Bitcoin
Ultimately, this crusade turned into a bitter lesson for the U.S. government on the nature of a distributed, decentralized technology.
Because Zimmerman had made his code available for anyone to download… and because enthusiasts spread copies of it all over the internet… it was impossible for the government to stop it.
All the U.S. government could do was attack Phil Zimmerman in a vengeful effort to deter others. But this only made his encryption code spread faster.
In the end, the government dropped all the charges against him. At that point, the genie was out of the bottle. Zimmerman’s encryption code was too widespread for the U.S. government to rein in.
Keep in mind, encryption has far more applications than securing your emails. It’s what makes online shopping and banking work. It puts the “crypto” in cryptocurrencies and makes Bitcoin possible.
It’s a vital part of securing any kind of digital data from hackers and other unauthorized snoops. With an ever-increasing amount of our private lives stored in the digital world, encryption is an absolute necessity.
Today, very few aspects of your private life are beyond the reach of the U.S. government. But there’s an encryption-based technology that can help you discreetly grow and preserve your wealth.
Cryptocurrencies take their name from cryptography.
The real story is Bitcoin.
— RECOMMENDED —
The Wall Street Legend Who Picked Apple in 2003 and Bitcoin in 2016 – Shares #1 Pick for the 2020s
It’s not 5G, artificial intelligence, or the internet of things.
The answer will surprise you. And, for those who take early action, it could lead to an eventual $1.6 million payout.
Bitcoin Lets You Escape the Matrix
You see, Bitcoin doesn’t use the traditional financial system. It has no central authority. Instead, it runs on a decentralized and voluntary network scattered around the world on many thousands of computers.
Bitcoin does not rely on so-called “trusted” intermediaries or third parties. It has no counterparty risk and no single point of failure.
In short, owning Bitcoin lets you escape the matrix… the financial prison that governments have erected with fiat currencies, central banks, and privacy-killing regulations serving as the bars on the door.
It’s like a Swiss bank account in your pocket.
Unlike paper currencies, Bitcoin is an inherently international asset. It has incredible value as an international transfer mechanism. You can take any amount of it in and out of any country. You don’t need permission from any government.
You can send it across any border – or any number of borders – as often as you want. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
With Bitcoin, there’s no central location for a SWAT team to raid. There’s no “capo” to arrest. Governments can do nothing but play an endless game of whack-a-mole across the globe.
It’s basically impossible for the U.S. government, the Chinese government, or any government to kill Bitcoin without shutting down the entire internet… and keeping it off.
Bitcoin’s resilience to government interference terrifies politicians. This is why it’s such a disruptive and exciting technology.
— RECOMMENDED —
You Could Make 843% in Your Sleep From 24-Hour Trades
You could have massive overnight gains throughout this entire crisis.
“Blitz Tracker” shrinks your exposure by controlling your time spent in the market and regularly delivers powerful 24-hour gains.
Click HERE now to see how to join folks already making money during this market chaos
Bitcoin Is a Refuge From Heavy-Handed Governments
Bitcoin offers regular people a safe haven. They can easily use it to send and receive wealth. That might mean paying for goods and services when the local paper money becomes worthless, or discreetly receiving a much-needed influx from relatives who have managed to get out.
Whatever the particulars, Bitcoin bypasses unsound banks, worthless currencies, and government confiscation schemes.
When a crisis hits, a government can easily steal money in your personal bank account. It can also steal purchasing power by printing more currency. But it’s next to impossible for it to steal Bitcoin or prevent people from using it.
In a crisis, Bitcoin is invaluable to the common man. Whenever there’s a crisis anywhere in the world, its price and volume spike… just like gold.
Right now, over 100,000 merchants accept Bitcoin as payment, including Overstock.com, Expedia, Microsoft, and Starbucks. That number is rapidly growing.
This is where things could really get interesting…
If every millionaire in the world wanted even just one Bitcoin, there wouldn’t be enough. According to the Bitcoin protocol, there will never be more than 21 million Bitcoins.
Right now, about 18.4 million Bitcoins exist. But the floating supply is estimated to be much smaller, perhaps about 14 million Bitcoins – possibly even fewer.
Meanwhile, there are currently over 33 million millionaires in the world. It would be impossible for each one to own even a single Bitcoin.
The prospect of governments continuing to print money and paper over a failing economy will cause investors to move into safer forms of money… Those that can’t be manipulated like fiat currencies.
That’s why gold is currently soaring… and Bitcoin will soar along with it.
In fact, I believe we could see Bitcoin go to $2 million per coin as people rush away from rapidly devaluing paper money into stronger forms of money. I know it sounds unbelievable, but there is a strong case for this, which I make in my latest issue of The Casey Report.
If you’re not a current subscriber – but want to learn how to protect your wealth from the government’s increasingly heavy-handed tactics – I advise you to check out this new briefing I put together for you on the subject.
It could save your family’s wealth and financial future.
— RECOMMENDED —
“If you’re not careful, you could pay the price” – Dr. Ron Paul
Former U.S. presidential candidate and Congressional veteran Dr. Ron Paul is back with an urgent warning for every American. You need to hear it today…
We’re in a financial crisis… and at Casey Research, we know government bureaucrats don’t let a crisis go to waste.
And hidden in a pandemic stimulus bill, I uncovered a sinister plan to overhaul the U.S. dollar… and confiscate everyday Americans’ wealth. I don’t want you to be blindsided by this cash grab – so I put together an urgent briefing for you. Access it here.